The atmosphere was chilly.
Tae-Jun Moon, who had been speaking politely until just now, crossed his legs and looked at Jun-Hyeok Kim.
"Mayor, you are doing a great job."
The action of the Incheon government.
It's not impossible.
However, if there was even a slight understanding of the Incheon floor, this could not have happened in the first place.
"According to reports, Redmoon was annihilated in just an hour or two. Although the Incheon government is not unaware that it has its own hidden power, it is physically impossible to deal with the Red Moon in such a short time. If so, it can be understood that an 'unknown force' has intervened in this case. And above all, Red Moon is a necessity for Incheon. In a situation where you do not know when a catastrophe will strike, the mayor of Incheon, who thinks of Incheon terribly, is unlikely to cause self-destruction."
It was a valid argument.
Kim Jun-hyeok, who postponed the subjugation of the anthill for fear of losing troops, had no reason to wage war with Red Moon so suddenly.
Doubts swelled. In the eyes of Tae-Jun Moon who looked at him coldly, Jun-Hyeok Kim said calmly.
"So we did this. It's because of Red Moon's disrespectful attitude, which is just like the investigator."
"What does that mean?"
"At first, I thought Red Moon was necessary for the future of Incheon. However, they planted people in the Incheon government and stole Incheon's talented people into the guild. So far I can understand. The future of talented people does not necessarily have to be tied to Incheon. The problem is that Red Moon was stealing supplies from Incheon to advance into Seoul. If so, I'll ask. How will you deal with those who only cause riots, who are not helping the future of Incheon?"
Moon Tae-joon was startled.
Entering Seoul.
It was related to Moon Tae-joon.
When Red Moon's misconduct was pointed out, he could not speak freely as he did not know Kim Jun-hyeok's intentions.
"… … You should be punished."
"Yes. So I went to Red Moon. I was going to punish them by asking them for a mistake, but they attacked first with a red flag, and it escalated into an all-out war. The result is what the investigator confirmed."
"Yes, I understand. If that's all true, then why did you report it in the first place? When the Incheon government first announced the annihilation of the Red Moon, didn't they say it as if it was an outside activity?"
asked the tail.
It was definitely a questionable part.
But Kim Jun-hyeok knew that there was no need to completely resolve the question.
"It just changed our minds. I was going to bury this fact, but seeing that the investigator came so early, I revealed the truth."
"Great."
Moon Tae-joon showed his displeasure.
It would be complicated for him.
The fact that the power of the Incheon government is stronger than expected, and the current situation when his misconduct was pointed out. That was enough.
From the moment Kim Jun-hyeok pushed forward with the actions of the Incheon government, as Moon Tae-jun, he had to understand not only external forces but also Kim Jun-hyeok's intentions.
The truth may come out one day, but at least the one month time promised with Roman Dmitry can be secured.
And above all.
I didn't like Moon Tae-joon's attitude.
In order to change his perception of Incheon, it was necessary to reveal Incheon's existence at least once.
"… … I understand for now. If they had committed an illegal act and even attacked first, the Incheon government would have had no choice but to wage an all-out war against Red Moon. I will report this case as such. But be careful in the future. If such extreme treatment becomes frequent, the central government will have no choice but to step out, no matter how independent the command system is."
"all right."
"And I couldn't tell you in advance, but there was an order from the president to increase the amount of the payment in the future by 10%."
Kim Tae-joon's eyes widened.
This was an unacceptable statement.
"You want to increase your payout. Even if it is not, Incheon cannot afford the amortization in this difficult situation."
"That is just the situation in Incheon. Keep that in mind. With its own system of command comes its own obligations. If we don't follow the central government's orders, Incheon will be pushed to the next level in the event of a catastrophe."
Moon Tae-joon smiled meanly.
The atmosphere changed when he mentioned the arrears, and he felt that he had taken the initiative again.
Tae-Jun Moon got up from his seat and said.
"You never know when a catastrophe will strike. So, for Incheon's future, as always, use your judgment wisely."
* * *
The place where Moon Tae-joon stepped down.
Kim Jun-hyeok rummaged through his pockets.
In the empty box with nothing, he nervously threw it to the floor.
tuk.
"It's like a beggar."
20 years after the catastrophe.
The world has turned into hell.
Nonsense rather than common sense prevailed, and the president, who had to take care of people, even threatened with safety as an excuse.
Moon Tae-joon's threats will not be empty words. In fact, when the 5th catastrophe hit, the president got rid of the enemies he had always hated.
It was so easy and simple. When Jiwon was pushed to a lower priority, there were no living people at the site that I visited late.
Incheon as well.
It was an unavoidable future.
If the central government turned away from Incheon, it was clear that this place would be abandoned regardless of the distance.
"… … Roman Dmitry. Why does he want such a useless city?"
suddenly.
Roman Dmitry came to mind.
Even Kim Jun-hyeok, who had lost his romance, dreamed of a vain hope for a moment due to the weight of his calm voice.
Anyway, if he really comes to clear the anthill.
If he has enough power to ensure Incheon's safety, Kim Jun-hyuk will create a future with him without hesitation.
'At that time, it doesn't matter if there is a dark inside. Even if I satisfy my own self-interest through Incheon, I will give my all for him as long as the safety of Incheon is guaranteed.'
I knew it was a vain hope.
During that time, I met a lot of people, but each time I experienced a desperate reality.
catastrophe.
Humans cannot afford it.
Since the constant influx of monsters could not be dealt with only by non-national units, people formed their own forces.
Even the central government, where Kim Jun-hyeok was hanged, was nothing more than a weak force that could not guarantee their own safety by world standards.
Considering the scale of the catastrophe that grew stronger each time, it was possible that the Republic of Korea itself would be destroyed, let alone their help.
mouth wrote.
Kim Jun-hyeok put off complicated thoughts and called his secretary and said.
"Ten minutes later. Gather the leaders of Incheon. The central government has increased the payout by 10%, we will discuss that."
"all right."
Now it was my turn to focus on reality.
In a situation where he did not know what the future would bring, he did not intend to take on all the troubles on others.
Hope is only temporary.
Kim Jun-hyeok melted into reality again.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
about a month from that.
The waiting room of Cheongsan (靑山), the mercenary guild in Incheon, was bustling with mercenaries as usual.
"Oh, damn it, I can't play cards because it's fucking shit. Does this make sense? Last time I was a flash of spades and a full house came out, this time I'm a full house but a four-card? Hey, you fucking bastards!"
Pak.
threw the card
At the sound of people laughing and laughing, Park Ki-tae, a Class D hunter, kicked his seat and got up.
anger was intense.
Recently, even the money was blown away in a situation where the quest was not good, so I couldn't play cards with people laughing anymore.
came out
I smoked a cigarette and tried to calm myself down for a while, but someone lit a fire next to me.
Chick.
"Guild leader?"
"You seem to have lost a lot?"
"No matter how you look at it, there is a kid who takes off the bottom. I wouldn't say anything if I just applied it, but they give me a full house and do too many four cards."
"Yes, yes. You deserve to be angry."
The opponent is the guild leader of Cheongsan.
It was Goo Cheol-ho.
Goo Cheol-ho smoked a cigarette together, and said in a soft voice.
"Would you like to take on a mission this time?"
"What is it?"
"The ant burrow expedition costs 100 million won. What do you think?"
Moment.
Park Ki-tae stiffened with a cigarette.
1 billion
It was an amount that could not be ignored.
Normally, he would have accepted it with ease, but because of the word ant burrowing in front of it, he couldn't.
"… … When it comes to ant burrow exploration, this is a place the Incheon government gave up on. If two queens had been producing ants for months, that would be living hell. Where the hell did you take charge of this subjugation?"
"Not where. It's a personal subjugation."
"You are going to kill me. You must have a grudge against me."
I turned my head.
The reward is very coveted, but you can't survive risking your life on a mission like this.
It was the expected reaction.
Gu Cheol-ho said.
"Yeah, it's a very dangerous mission. But the problem is that the advance fee is 100 million won. I'll give you 200 million more when you finish all the missions, so let's see if it's a good party for now. If you really think you can subdue the anthills, I'll follow you to the end, if not, I won't hold you responsible even if you run away with a teleport scroll in the middle. Your opponent doesn't want your fighting skills. Seeing that they want to hire you as a guide, you must have been fully prepared."
"Write."
Park Ki-tae.
He was a guide.
Not all hunters were specialized in combat.
In complex hunting grounds such as anthills, guides were needed, so Park Ki-tae made use of that ability to live as a guide.
It wasn't bad to hear. Park Ki-tae pondered for a long time because he could secure 100 million won even if he finished eating only the advance payment.
yet.
Park Ki-tae said while rubbing a cigarette with his shoe.
"I would refuse even if I didn't lose money. So where should I go?"
* * *
on the day of the appointment.
Park Ki-tae felt his face tremble.
I expected a group party to be about an ant den, but only two people showed up in front of me.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Minho Kang, an E-class hunter. This is Roman Dmitry, the person I serve, and I haven't taken the grade test yet, so it's unrated. You are Park Ki-tae, who was commissioned by the Cheongsan Guild, right?"
"Park Ki-tae is right, but… … ."
The destination is the anthill.
If it is an ant den with as many as two queen ants, it must be a large-scale party composed of hunters of B-grade or higher in common sense.
Even so, it is a mission that cannot be guaranteed of success.
However, I could not have imagined until just before I met them that only E-class hunters and unranked hunters would come to this place.
I got dizzy.
I thought that Koo Cheol-ho had fucked him.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom for a while."
avoided the seat.
did you ever know
Thinking that he might have accomplished a great achievement he was not aware of, he hurriedly checked the information of the two.
Hunter database.
There it came out about the two of them:
[Roman Dmitry]
- no information
[Kang Min-ho]
-E-Class Hunter
-Successful in many E-class missions
"… … plague."
The cursing was intense.
Roman Dmitry did not have any information, and Kang Min-ho was from the bottom, where only E-class missions were carried out. I didn't quite understand.
It's a request for a whopping 100 million won in advance, so why are there such nonsensical people coming out? This was clearly the case.
It would be a way to hasten the commandment if he followed suit, but Park Ki-tae could not give up the 100 million won.
'Hey, Ki-tae. Let's not be stupid.'
1 million.
swallowed dry saliva.
Hunters are highly paid occupations, but all those who earn tens of billions of dollars and live in silliness were all grade B or higher.
It's too much money for Park Ki-tae, who is ranked D. After pondering for a while, Park Ki-tae took out a magic scroll from his arms.
'Once we go to the anthill together, we can receive the advance payment. Yes. I have a magic scroll, and the guild leader said that he wouldn't hold me accountable. let's follow All you have to do is get the advance payment and run away.'
I wasn't sure it was the right choice.
But.
I have already accepted reality in my heart.
Do your best to the best of your ability, and if you are in a corner, you will run away without looking back.
returned to his seat.
At the gaze of the two men looking at him, Park Gi-tae tried to smile.
"Let's go. From now on, I will guide you to the ant den."
The atmosphere was chilly.
Tae-Jun Moon, who had been speaking politely until just now, crossed his legs and looked at Jun-Hyeok Kim.
"Mayor, you are doing a great job."
The action of the Incheon government.
It's not impossible.
However, if there was even a slight understanding of the Incheon floor, this could not have happened in the first place.
"According to reports, Redmoon was annihilated in just an hour or two. Although the Incheon government is not unaware that it has its own hidden power, it is physically impossible to deal with the Red Moon in such a short time. If so, it can be understood that an 'unknown force' has intervened in this case. And above all, Red Moon is a necessity for Incheon. In a situation where you do not know when a catastrophe will strike, the mayor of Incheon, who thinks of Incheon terribly, is unlikely to cause self-destruction."
It was a valid argument.
Kim Jun-hyeok, who postponed the subjugation of the anthill for fear of losing troops, had no reason to wage war with Red Moon so suddenly.
Doubts swelled. In the eyes of Tae-Jun Moon who looked at him coldly, Jun-Hyeok Kim said calmly.
"So we did this. It's because of Red Moon's disrespectful attitude, which is just like the investigator."
"What does that mean?"
"At first, I thought Red Moon was necessary for the future of Incheon. However, they planted people in the Incheon government and stole Incheon's talented people into the guild. So far I can understand. The future of talented people does not necessarily have to be tied to Incheon. The problem is that Red Moon was stealing supplies from Incheon to advance into Seoul. If so, I'll ask. How will you deal with those who only cause riots, who are not helping the future of Incheon?"
Moon Tae-joon was startled.
Entering Seoul.
It was related to Moon Tae-joon.
When Red Moon's misconduct was pointed out, he could not speak freely as he did not know Kim Jun-hyeok's intentions.
"… … You should be punished."
"Yes. So I went to Red Moon. I was going to punish them by asking them for a mistake, but they attacked first with a red flag, and it escalated into an all-out war. The result is what the investigator confirmed."
"Yes, I understand. If that's all true, then why did you report it in the first place? When the Incheon government first announced the annihilation of the Red Moon, didn't they say it as if it was an outside activity?"
asked the tail.
It was definitely a questionable part.
But Kim Jun-hyeok knew that there was no need to completely resolve the question.
"It just changed our minds. I was going to bury this fact, but seeing that the investigator came so early, I revealed the truth."
"Great."
Moon Tae-joon showed his displeasure.
It would be complicated for him.
The fact that the power of the Incheon government is stronger than expected, and the current situation when his misconduct was pointed out. That was enough.
From the moment Kim Jun-hyeok pushed forward with the actions of the Incheon government, as Moon Tae-jun, he had to understand not only external forces but also Kim Jun-hyeok's intentions.
The truth may come out one day, but at least the one month time promised with Roman Dmitry can be secured.
And above all.
I didn't like Moon Tae-joon's attitude.
In order to change his perception of Incheon, it was necessary to reveal Incheon's existence at least once.
"… … I understand for now. If they had committed an illegal act and even attacked first, the Incheon government would have had no choice but to wage an all-out war against Red Moon. I will report this case as such. But be careful in the future. If such extreme treatment becomes frequent, the central government will have no choice but to step out, no matter how independent the command system is."
"all right."
"And I couldn't tell you in advance, but there was an order from the president to increase the amount of the payment in the future by 10%."
Kim Tae-joon's eyes widened.
This was an unacceptable statement.
"You want to increase your payout. Even if it is not, Incheon cannot afford the amortization in this difficult situation."
"That is just the situation in Incheon. Keep that in mind. With its own system of command comes its own obligations. If we don't follow the central government's orders, Incheon will be pushed to the next level in the event of a catastrophe."
Moon Tae-joon smiled meanly.
The atmosphere changed when he mentioned the arrears, and he felt that he had taken the initiative again.
Tae-Jun Moon got up from his seat and said.
"You never know when a catastrophe will strike. So, for Incheon's future, as always, use your judgment wisely."
* * *
The place where Moon Tae-joon stepped down.
Kim Jun-hyeok rummaged through his pockets.
In the empty box with nothing, he nervously threw it to the floor.
tuk.
"It's like a beggar."
20 years after the catastrophe.
The world has turned into hell.
Nonsense rather than common sense prevailed, and the president, who had to take care of people, even threatened with safety as an excuse.
Moon Tae-joon's threats will not be empty words. In fact, when the 5th catastrophe hit, the president got rid of the enemies he had always hated.
It was so easy and simple. When Jiwon was pushed to a lower priority, there were no living people at the site that I visited late.
Incheon as well.
It was an unavoidable future.
If the central government turned away from Incheon, it was clear that this place would be abandoned regardless of the distance.
"… … Roman Dmitry. Why does he want such a useless city?"
suddenly.
Roman Dmitry came to mind.
Even Kim Jun-hyeok, who had lost his romance, dreamed of a vain hope for a moment due to the weight of his calm voice.
Anyway, if he really comes to clear the anthill.
If he has enough power to ensure Incheon's safety, Kim Jun-hyuk will create a future with him without hesitation.
'At that time, it doesn't matter if there is a dark inside. Even if I satisfy my own self-interest through Incheon, I will give my all for him as long as the safety of Incheon is guaranteed.'
I knew it was a vain hope.
During that time, I met a lot of people, but each time I experienced a desperate reality.
catastrophe.
Humans cannot afford it.
Since the constant influx of monsters could not be dealt with only by non-national units, people formed their own forces.
Even the central government, where Kim Jun-hyeok was hanged, was nothing more than a weak force that could not guarantee their own safety by world standards.
Considering the scale of the catastrophe that grew stronger each time, it was possible that the Republic of Korea itself would be destroyed, let alone their help.
mouth wrote.
Kim Jun-hyeok put off complicated thoughts and called his secretary and said.
"Ten minutes later. Gather the leaders of Incheon. The central government has increased the payout by 10%, we will discuss that."
"all right."
Now it was my turn to focus on reality.
In a situation where he did not know what the future would bring, he did not intend to take on all the troubles on others.
Hope is only temporary.
Kim Jun-hyeok melted into reality again.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
about a month from that.
The waiting room of Cheongsan (靑山), the mercenary guild in Incheon, was bustling with mercenaries as usual.
"Oh, damn it, I can't play cards because it's fucking shit. Does this make sense? Last time I was a flash of spades and a full house came out, this time I'm a full house but a four-card? Hey, you fucking bastards!"
Pak.
threw the card
At the sound of people laughing and laughing, Park Ki-tae, a Class D hunter, kicked his seat and got up.
anger was intense.
Recently, even the money was blown away in a situation where the quest was not good, so I couldn't play cards with people laughing anymore.
came out
I smoked a cigarette and tried to calm myself down for a while, but someone lit a fire next to me.
Chick.
"Guild leader?"
"You seem to have lost a lot?"
"No matter how you look at it, there is a kid who takes off the bottom. I wouldn't say anything if I just applied it, but they give me a full house and do too many four cards."
"Yes, yes. You deserve to be angry."
The opponent is the guild leader of Cheongsan.
It was Goo Cheol-ho.
Goo Cheol-ho smoked a cigarette together, and said in a soft voice.
"Would you like to take on a mission this time?"
"What is it?"
"The ant burrow expedition costs 100 million won. What do you think?"
Moment.
Park Ki-tae stiffened with a cigarette.
1 billion
It was an amount that could not be ignored.
Normally, he would have accepted it with ease, but because of the word ant burrowing in front of it, he couldn't.
"… … When it comes to ant burrow exploration, this is a place the Incheon government gave up on. If two queens had been producing ants for months, that would be living hell. Where the hell did you take charge of this subjugation?"
"Not where. It's a personal subjugation."
"You are going to kill me. You must have a grudge against me."
I turned my head.
The reward is very coveted, but you can't survive risking your life on a mission like this.
It was the expected reaction.
Gu Cheol-ho said.
"Yeah, it's a very dangerous mission. But the problem is that the advance fee is 100 million won. I'll give you 200 million more when you finish all the missions, so let's see if it's a good party for now. If you really think you can subdue the anthills, I'll follow you to the end, if not, I won't hold you responsible even if you run away with a teleport scroll in the middle. Your opponent doesn't want your fighting skills. Seeing that they want to hire you as a guide, you must have been fully prepared."
"Write."
Park Ki-tae.
He was a guide.
Not all hunters were specialized in combat.
In complex hunting grounds such as anthills, guides were needed, so Park Ki-tae made use of that ability to live as a guide.
It wasn't bad to hear. Park Ki-tae pondered for a long time because he could secure 100 million won even if he finished eating only the advance payment.
yet.
Park Ki-tae said while rubbing a cigarette with his shoe.
"I would refuse even if I didn't lose money. So where should I go?"
* * *
on the day of the appointment.
Park Ki-tae felt his face tremble.
I expected a group party to be about an ant den, but only two people showed up in front of me.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Minho Kang, an E-class hunter. This is Roman Dmitry, the person I serve, and I haven't taken the grade test yet, so it's unrated. You are Park Ki-tae, who was commissioned by the Cheongsan Guild, right?"
"Park Ki-tae is right, but… … ."
The destination is the anthill.
If it is an ant den with as many as two queen ants, it must be a large-scale party composed of hunters of B-grade or higher in common sense.
Even so, it is a mission that cannot be guaranteed of success.
However, I could not have imagined until just before I met them that only E-class hunters and unranked hunters would come to this place.
I got dizzy.
I thought that Koo Cheol-ho had fucked him.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom for a while."
avoided the seat.
did you ever know
Thinking that he might have accomplished a great achievement he was not aware of, he hurriedly checked the information of the two.
Hunter database.
There it came out about the two of them:
[Roman Dmitry]
- no information
[Kang Min-ho]
-E-Class Hunter
-Successful in many E-class missions
"… … plague."
The cursing was intense.
Roman Dmitry did not have any information, and Kang Min-ho was from the bottom, where only E-class missions were carried out. I didn't quite understand.
It's a request for a whopping 100 million won in advance, so why are there such nonsensical people coming out? This was clearly the case.
It would be a way to hasten the commandment if he followed suit, but Park Ki-tae could not give up the 100 million won.
'Hey, Ki-tae. Let's not be stupid.'
1 million.
swallowed dry saliva.
Hunters are highly paid occupations, but all those who earn tens of billions of dollars and live in silliness were all grade B or higher.
It's too much money for Park Ki-tae, who is ranked D. After pondering for a while, Park Ki-tae took out a magic scroll from his arms.
'Once we go to the anthill together, we can receive the advance payment. Yes. I have a magic scroll, and the guild leader said that he wouldn't hold me accountable. let's follow All you have to do is get the advance payment and run away.'
I wasn't sure it was the right choice.
But.
I have already accepted reality in my heart.
Do your best to the best of your ability, and if you are in a corner, you will run away without looking back.
returned to his seat.
At the gaze of the two men looking at him, Park Gi-tae tried to smile.
"Let's go. From now on, I will guide you to the ant den."
